Syracuse Basketball: Judah Mintz among nation’s best at getting to the free-throw line

This past Saturday night in Central New York, sophomore point guard Judah Mintz got to the charity stripe for 20 attempts, the latest example of his prowess from the free-throw line.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Mintz, who hails from Fort Washington, Md., went 14-of-20 from the line and finished with 20 points overall in Saturday evening’s 12-point win for the Orange over fellow Atlantic Coast Conference team N.C. State.

As the ‘Cuse (14-6, 5-4 in the ACC) prepares to face long-time rival Boston College on Tuesday night, Mintz to date in the 2023-24 season has proven one of the country’s premier players in getting to the charity stripe and then converting while there.

When I wrote this article on Monday, Mintz sat at No. 3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring, at 18.5 points per game, which leads the Orange.

Syracuse basketball guard Judah Mintz ranks high when it comes to the charity stripe.

According to his bio from SU Athletics, Mintz so far this term is 143-of-183 from the free-throw line, which is good for 78.1 percent.

Per sports-reference.com, at the time of this writing, Mintz was No. 7 nationwide in made free throws and No. 4 around the country in free-throw attempts.

On the ‘Cuse 2023-24 roster, sophomore wing Quadir Copeland is No. 2 on the team in free throws made and attempted, at 49 and 71, respectively, according to cuse.com.

Mintz showed his proficiency in getting to the charity stripe last year as well, when he was named to the ACC’s All-Freshman team. His ability to get into the lane, weave through traffic, carve out space and finish through contact, to me, is remarkable.

He’s fearless when in the paint, and Mintz is certainly not afraid of being fouled. He said as much after the team’s victory versus the Wolfpack over the weekend.

Mintz isn’t an overly stellar shooter. He’s currently hitting on 42.2 percent from the field and 34.0 percent from beyond the arc. Those aren’t great numbers.

Against N.C. State, Mintz shot just 3-of-9 from the field and 0-of-1 from long range. Yet he still managed to compile 20 points, because he made 14 free throws.

I also should add here that Mintz dished out nine assists in the triumph over the Wolfpack, although he did commit five turnovers as well.

If I have one “constructive criticism” of Mintz, it’s that he sometimes tries to do too much after getting into the lane. Granted, when he’s in the paint, he often gets fouled and heads to the line.

But on some occasions, he also finds himself going up against multiple defenders when the interior is clogged up.

Regardless, Mintz has proven a strong facilitator in recent games, and his keen ability to score from the charity stripe is crucial, particularly during encounters when he may be struggling from the field or 3-point land.